Syria army regains full control of Morek

The Syrian army has flushed out Takfiri militants from a strategic town nine months after it was seized by the terrorists.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday that Syrian ground forces backed by airstrikes liberated the town of Morek from the militants belonging to the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front.

Syrian forces “took back total control of Morek in the north of Hama countryside, after fierce battles that have raged” since Wednesday night, the UK-based Syrian opposition group said.

There has been no report on the number of the casualties of the fighting.

Morek is considered a significant town as it is located on the main road linking the Syrian capital city, Damascus, to the country’s largest city of Aleppo in the northwest.

The success is the latest gain in a string of victories against the militants fighting the Syrian government.

On Monday, Syrian forces recaptured the Mazra’at al-Halabi area and Madafeh Hill in Aleppo’s eastern countryside.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Western powers and some of their regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - are reportedly supporting the militants operating in Syria.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein has said that more than 200,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict since March 2011.